Groupon to Settle Class-Action Lawsuit for $8.5 Million (Updated)

This is pretty big news for those of you (and well, me!) that bought a Groupon coupon and let it expire. A lawsuit was just settled that makes your Groupon coupon that you purchased last year still good! Details from Bloomberg:

Groupon Inc. (GRPN), the biggest seller of so-called daily deals, agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging the expiration dates on its coupons are illegal.

Customers who bought Groupon vouchers before Dec. 1, 2011 can either redeem these past their expiration date or, if they are unable to do so, obtain a refund from the $8.5 million fund, according the proposed settlement filed March 29 in federal court in San Diego. Residents in some states can seek refunds only for vouchers sold after Aug. 22, 2010, according to the filing.

Groupon also agreed for three years not to sell more than 10 percent of its daily deals with an expiration date of less than 30 days after their issue date, according to the fling.

Julie Mossler, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based Groupon, said the company doesn’t comment on litigation.

Groupon disputes the plaintiffs’ claims, according to the proposed settlement.

The settlement pertains to 17 lawsuits against Groupon that were consolidated before U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw in San Diego. The plaintiffs claimed Groupon and various retailers violate federal and state consumer protection laws with improper expiration dates and other provisions for the vouchers, such as the requirement that they be used in a single transaction.

“Groupon effectively creates a sense of urgency among consumers to quickly purchase ‘groupon’ gift certificates by offering ‘daily deals’ for a short amount of time,” according to the first case filed last year. “Consumers therefore feel pressured and are rushed into buying the gift certificates and unwittingly become subject to the onerous sales conditions.”

The cases are In re Groupon Inc. Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, 11-MD-2238, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California (San Diego.)

Update: Groupon said if you have expired Groupons, you can redeem them in the normal way. Print out the coupon or load it up on your smartphone, and the merchant should honor it as usual.

Update 2: Groupon says your coupons are valid for the purchase price post-expiry. For example, if you paid $20 for a $40, you’d get the $20 credit. It also noted that this is not a new policy, nor was it dictated by the settlement.